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Congress was in session this week in anticipation of a two-week Passover/Easter break starting next week, but the Senate may cancel all or part of that recess. The House voted on the following bills:  The Senate confirmed Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary, debated the SAVE America Act along with…

The Senate began debate last Tuesday on the voter identification bill, a top priority for President Trump and on Saturday, the chamber voted strictly along party lines to reject two amendments: a Republican proposal to bar transgender women from competing in women’s college sports, and a Democratic amendment from Minority Leader Schumer (D-NY) attempting to…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has now been unfunded for 38 days. TSA lines and airport wait times continued to worsen over the weekend as more agents quit or stayed home. In response, President Trump announced that ICE agents will be deployed to airports and some Democrats interpret this as an effort by the…

The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to request $200 billion in FY 2026 supplemental funding to support operations in Iran. Many Democrats have already vowed to oppose any such spending, characterizing the effort as an unauthorized war. Without a major unifying event, it is highly unlikely that the measure could pass the Senate on its own,…

Last Wednesday, Senate Democrats forced a vote on one of five pending War Powers resolutions, this one sponsored by Sen. Booker (D-NJ) (S.J. Res. 118). The measure, which would have directed the removal of U.S. armed forces from hostilities within or against Iran that have not been authorized by Congress, failed by a vote of…

ASA strongly opposes Illinois House Bill 5042, which seeks to amend Section 1 (30 ILCS 550/1) of the Public Construction Bond Act, Illinois’ Little Miller Act, by raising the bond threshold to $10,000,000 for Illinois Department of Transportation (ILDOT) and State Highway Authority projects, and $5,000,000 for other state and local public works contracts. ASA…

This week, the House voted on the Deporting Fraudsters Act (H.R. 1958), which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify that aliens who  have been convicted of defrauding the U.S. Government or unlawful receipt of public benefits are inadmissible and deportable; and the BOWWOW Act (H.R. 4638), which would amend the same law…

Sen. Cassidy (R-LA) was joined by Sens. Risch (R-ID), Tillis (R-NC), Tuberville (R-AL), Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Lankford (R-OK), Johnson (R-WI), Schmitt (R-MO), Banks (R-IN), Crapo (R-ID), Britt (R-AL), Ernst (R-IA), Budd (R-NC), Cornyn (R-TX), Sheehy (R-MT), and Daines (R-MT) urging the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to revise the proposed heat rule as it would mandate…

The Department of Labor’s latest guidance, intended to reduce administrative complexity for employers initiating registered apprentice programs, may not be sufficient to meet the administration’s ambitious job creation targets. The three guidance documents released last week informed businesses that they are not required to comply with rigid standards regarding apprenticeship program durations and clarified expectations…